Want the Max $5,251 Social Security Benefit? Here's the Salary You Need.
Want the Max $5,251 Social Security Benefit? Here's the Salary You Need.
James Brumley, The Motley FoolSun, March 1, 2026 at 12:04 PM UTC
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Key Points -
Your calculated benefits are a function of when you claim them, how many years you earned taxable wages, and how much money you earned while working.
Of the three factors, the income-based one is the toughest one for most people to "max out."
Even if you're not reaching Social Security's maximum taxable ceiling in any given year, earning more income can only help.
The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook ›
Although this year's average monthly Social Security retirement benefits payment is $2,071, a handful of retirees are faring far better. They're collecting the maximum monthly payment of $5,181.
A person is pointing to a bunch of one-hundred-dollar bills in their other hand.
Image source: Getty Images.
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What did these people do differently than everyone else? A small handful of things, like waiting until they turned 70 to file for benefits, or earning taxable wages for a minimum of 35 years. Perhaps the most important thing these retirees did, however, is earning at least enough money every year they worked to reach or exceed Social Security's maximum-taxable income ceiling. This year the program only taxes income of up to $184,500, since any further taxation beyond that amount wouldn't add any additional future benefits. The table below lists this maximum-taxable threshold for every year going all the way back to 1987.
Year
No Additional SS Taxation Above...
Year
No Additional SS Taxation Above...
1987
$43,800
2007
$97,500
1988
$45,000
2008
$102,000
1989
$48,000
2009
$106,800
1990
$51,300
2010
$106,800
1991
$53,400
2011
$106,800
1992
$55,500
2012
$110,100
1993
$57,600
2013
$113,700
1994
$60,600
2014
$117,000
1995
$61,200
2015
$118,500
1996
$62,700
2016
$118,500
1997
$65,400
2017
$127,200
1998
$68,400
2018
$128,400
1999
$72,600
2019
$132,900
2000
$76,200
2020
$137,700
2001
$80,400
2021
$142,800
2002
$84,900
2022
$147,000
2003
$87,000
2023
$160,200
2004
$87,000
2024
$168,600
2005
$90,000
2025
$176,100
2006
$94,200
2026
$184,500
Source: Social Security Administration.
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To be clear, recipients of the maximum Social Security benefits would have met or surpassed the above thresholds for a minimum of at least 35 of these years, although these ceilings do not need to be reached in 35 consecutive years. The program bases your payment on the 35 years you met or got nearest each of these indicated amounts.
The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook
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